The Blind Beggar, Whitechapel, London

by Alfred Cochrane
(London, UK)

Great Beer Shirts!

The Blind Beggar, in Whitechapel, London, situated opposite the famous Royal London Hospital, was built in 1894 and took its name from the legendary blind beggar of Bethnal Green. This man was wounded, disfigured and blinded during the battle of Evesham in 1265.

But Londoners would say it became famous on the 9th March 1966, when Ronnie Kray, an East End gangland villain and the other part of the Kray Twins, walked in the salon bar and shot George Cornell in the head using a 9mm Mauser, supposedly because he called Ronnie a big fat poof.

It's also said the record playing on the jukebox was The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore by the Walker Brothers. The Kray twins are still remembered and respected by many Eastenders.

The pub these day is very smart and extremely clean. It is visited by tourists from all over the world. It serves good English food and has entertainment nights. There's a lovely warming open fire which welcomes you as you enter.

There is a small selection of real ales and a nice beer garden and there are still signs of the past preserved in the pub.